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Norwegian authorities had been aware of the forgeries since January, but neither Finland nor Denmark were warned. The vessel Achilles departed the Russian port of Primorsk on 12 March and passed through international inspections coordinated by Finnish and Danish officials, part of an effort to enforce sanctions and prevent unregulated transport of Russian oil. At the time, the documentation appeared legitimate.
Norwegian public broadcaster NRK later confirmed that the Achilles and dozens of other vessels were operating with falsified papers claiming insurance coverage by Ro Marine, a company not authorised to conduct such business. Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority confirmed that the certificates used a forged template, included signatures from non-existent officials, and bore seals the agency has never used. Finland only became aware of the issue on 24 March, when journalists investigating the fraud contacted the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom).
“The original message came from Danwatch,” said Sanna Sonninen , maritime director at Traficom. Ro Marine, which claims to be a global insurance provider for maritime freight, listed its address in the same building as the Norwegian Shipowners’ Association. Both claims are false.
The company is not registered to operate in the insurance sector, and the address is unrelated. According to official Norwegian business records, the current owner of Ro Marine is a Russian citizen from St Petersburg, who also serves as the company’s director. NRK reports that this individual has links to other business activities in Norway.
Four individuals—one Russian, one Bulgarian and two Norwegians—are now under investigation on suspicion of document forgery and unauthorised business operations. The Norwegians deny wrongdoing and claim no active role in the company’s current activities. Norwegian authorities had learned of the forged documents after being contacted in September 2024 by a Ghanaian insurance employee seeking to verify the legitimacy of Ro Marine.
A screenshot of the suspect document was attached to the inquiry. Norway’s Financial Supervisory Authority quickly determined the paper was fake and informed the Directorate for Export Control and Sanctions (DEKSA), which passed the information to the Norwegian Police Security Service. According to DEKSA, there was no protocol requiring foreign partners to be alerted.
Norway’s State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the failure. “Our neighbouring countries should have been warned earlier. We are reviewing our procedures to understand why that did not happen,” he said.
The Norwegian Foreign Affairs Committee chair, Ine Eriksen Søreide , also criticised the lapse, calling for improved coordination between ministries and agencies. She stated that preventing circumvention of sanctions requires close cooperation across multiple sectors and stronger international links, especially with Nordic allies. Denmark also confirmed it had not been warned about the fake documents until contacted by NRK and Danwatch.
Following the revelations, Danish officials requested information from Norway’s Ministry of Trade and Fisheries and later escalated the matter to a ministerial level discussion between Morten Bødskov , Denmark’s Minister for Industry, and Marianne Sivertsen Næss , Norway’s Minister for Fisheries and Oceans. The episode has led to calls for tighter enforcement of sanctions, more transparent coordination, and the reassessment of cross-border warning systems to ensure the effectiveness of maritime controls. HT.
